On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020, Democrat Sarah McBride won the Delaware election for state senator, making her the first openly transgender person to serve as a state senator. During the election, she beat Republican candidate Steve Washington in Delaware’s 1st district by an overwhelming amount, winning about 73% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Delaware Department of Elections. Her win also makes her the first openly out LGBTQIA+ member elected into Delaware’s legislation.

“I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too,” McBride tweeted Tuesday night. “As Delaware continues to face the Covid crisis, it’s time to get to work to invest in the policies that will make a difference for working families.”

McBride, former spokesperson for the LGBTQIA+ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, first made national headlines in 2012 when she stepped down as American University’s student body president and came out as transgender in the school’s student newspaper. In college, she interned with the Obama administration, becoming the first openly transgender woman to work in the White House, according to her campaign announcement. She then went on to become the first transgender person to speak at the Democratic National Convention, when she addressed Democrats in Philadelphia.

“She gives a voice to the marginalized as a representative and an advocate,” Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement. “This victory, the first of what I expect to be many in her career, shows that any person can achieve their dream, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.”

“Sarah’s overwhelming victory is a power testament to the growing influence of transgender leaders in our politics and gives hope to countless trans people looking toward a brighter future,” said Annise Parker, former mayor of Houston and current President of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, in a statement on Tuesday.